Dalaran
thumb|left|The Dalaran tabard thumb|The city of Dalaran as portrayed in Warcraft III Dalaran (aka, "Magical Nation of Dalaran", "Magical Kingdom of Dalaran" ) is a magocratic city state in the northern Eastern Kingdoms, ruled by the Kirin Tor. It was one of the seven kingdoms. Its Violet Citadel served as the focal point for mages and the study of the arcane throughout human history until its destruction in the Third War. Founding and Early History The second city-state of the nation of Arathor, Dalaran was founded in the lands northwest of Strom. Many fledgling wizards and magi who left the restraining confines of Strom behind traveled to Dalaran, where they hoped to use their new powers with greater freedom. These mages used their knowledge to build up the enchanted spires of the Violet Citadel on Cross Island in Dalaran, and reveled in the pursuit of their studies. The citizens of Dalaran built up a bustling economy under the protection of their magic-using defenders. Yet, as more and more mages practiced their arts, the fabric of reality around Dalaran began to weaken and tear, allowing demons of the Burning Legion into the world. These invaders caused havoc on the streets and countryside of Dalaran, despite the efforts of the Archmagi to deal with the problem. Fearing revolt and military action from Strom, the rulers of Dalaran turned to the high elves. The elves were able to determine that the daemons which had been summoned could be dealt with, but a more permanent solution was needed. The Magocrats entered into a deal with the Convocation of Silvermoon, and the Order of Tirisfal was founded. Under the vigilant watch of the Order, Dalaran became the chief center of learning for magicians throughout the land. The Magocrats who ruled Dalaran founded the Kirin Tor, a specialized sect and ruling council that was charged with cataloging and researching every spell, artifact, and magic item known at the time. Dalaran in Warcraft II NOTE: The following information is taken from the Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness manual. Leader: The Kirin Tor Nation Color: Violet Background: Dalaran is a small, magocratic nation ruled by a conclave of Wizards known as the Kirin Tor. The capital of Dalaran is the Violet Citadel at Cross Island. This nexus of supernatural forces is home to the four great towers that are sanctum to many of the land's greatest sorcerers. The Kirin Tor are strong supporters of the Alliance and to its cause have devoted the knowledge contained within their voluminous libraries as well as the power of their awesome magiks. Dalaran During the Wars During the Second War, Dalaran pledged to support the Alliance of Lordaeron and gave large amounts of aid, mages, and sorcerers to the war effort. The city was ravaged by the Horde, but was able to be rebuilt to its former glory. Prior to the Third War, Dalaran was the home of an incredibly large library of books and tomes, in addition to many of the greatest sorcerers of the day including Archmage Antonidas, Khadgar, Jaina Proudmoore, Arugal and Kel'Thuzad. It was also the site of the vault where the staff of Medivh, Atiesh, was kept after the master mage's death. However after the Scourge was unleashed upon the land, one of their primary targets was Dalaran. The city was defended by Dalaran Guard Towers and archmagi, but was ultimately destroyed following the summoning of Archimonde to Azeroth. The great demon single-handedly laid waste to the city by creating a magical effigy out of the dust, which he then crushed; the mighty towers of Dalaran fell simultaneously. Soon after the defeat of the Burning Legion, however, Alliance forces under the command of Grand Marshal Garithos regained the ruins of the city; some refugees from Lordaeron eventually made their way there as well. The surviving magi of the Kirin Tor later returned with the intent of rebuilding, and erected a large, magical time-and-space distortion field around the city to ward off a new attack while they slowly regained their strength. The shield is opaque and completely impenetrable by any known means. Now the lands around the ruins of Dalaran are the site of a guerrilla war between the Alliance and the Forsaken. Modern Dalaran Today, the Magocracy of Dalaran continues to rule much of its original territory. Despite the fall of its capital, Dalaran has remained an important member of the Alliance. Dalaran currently has about 3000 citizens , only 120 of them are members of the Kirin Tor . The Kirin Tor continue to rule over the remains of their city, which is being rebuilt, as well as the town of Ambermill, the Lordamere Internment Camp, and parts of Silverpine Forest. Dalaran's army is largely responsible for the survival of Alliance power in Silverpine; without the aid of the mages, the town of Pyrewood Village would have fallen to the Scourge long ago. All travelers in southern Silverpine will note the massive presence of Dalaran's troops. The city is the northern-most Alliance state left standing after the invasion of the Scourge. The main city of Dalaran is still hiding behind the shield that the Kirin Tor had erected. It is not known what the wizards are doing within, but rumors abound. Because they no longer have the Book of Medivh, it is unlikely that they have managed to shut down the portal opened by Kel'Thuzad, and so it is possible that the Player Characters will be able to use that portal to enter Outland, as Kael and Vashj did. This proved true with the release of World of Warcraft:The Burning Crusade The fortified outpost, Nethergarde Keep and the surrounding area in the Blasted Lands is also under control of Dalaran. See Also List of Dalaran NPCs Flag Dalaran's Flag is a yellow or possibly golden eye set against a light purple background. Their national color is violet. Relations with Other Kingdoms Dalaran considers all Alliance nations to be their allies. They are currently in open war with the Forsaken, and officially at war with the Scourge, although they have driven the Scourge far enough away from their borders for this to not be a real war any longer. They are also opposed to the Syndicate. They do not support the Scarlet Crusade openly, but accept their movements and operations as long as they continue to cause disorder among the undead. They do not have dealings with the Horde, as they still remember the orcish invasion during the Second War. They openly support war with the Qiraji of Silithus and will no longer have dealings with blood elves, which they see as enemies of all good magic users, and as demon worshippers. Role in regards to the Burning Legion Contrary to popular belief, the Burning Legion as a whole was not attracted to Azeroth through Dalaran's use of arcane magic. The Second Invasion was sparked by a carefully-executed plan hatched by Kil'jaeden out of Archimonde's lust for revenge on the planet. The Highborne use of magic ten thousand years ago was markedly different from that of the Kirin Tor; Xavius and his fellows attracted the Legion through use of insanely powerful magic fueled by the Well of Eternity; the Eye of Dalaran is not capable of such power. Dalaran was the location of Archimonde's emergence partly because the veil between worlds was slightly weaker in the region (which was a result of the Kirin Tor's magics), but mostly because Kel'Thuzad and Arthas were there to obtain Medivh's spellbook; had they acquired the spellbook from Stormwind or Ironforge, that would have been where Archimonde was summoned. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Dalaran has been announced as the neutral city for the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. Apparently, the Blue Dragonflight has declared war on mortal magic users and the Kirin Tor have elected to take the fight to their headquarters in Northrend. See Also *The Guardians of Tirisfal (part of the History of Warcraft) *Kirin Tor *Antonidas *Jaina Proudmoore *Kel'Thuzad *Arugal *the Violet Eye *Book: The Last Guardian Other Note that the inside is currently completely empty, except for glittering "stars", which resemble Arcane Explosions. Category:Ruins Category:Cities Category:Closed Zones Category:Human Nations Category:Human territories Category:Alterac Mountains Subzones